Our series of weekly NASCAR driver interviews continues with Carl Edwards, who is two weeks away from participating in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in his first year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Q: If NASCAR allowed you to listen to music while you were racing, would you want to?

A: I think Jon Wood used to do that. He had Racing Electronics wire up his MP3 player at the time and had it all set up. I don’t think anybody knew about it.

I wouldn’t, though. I get so focused in the race. But it would help with the times when I hear a song that morning or something and I can’t get it out of my head. That is the worst.

Or when you’re following Kasey Kahne (in the Farmers Insurance car) and you keep thinking about FarmersOnly.com. You know (the jingle) where it’s like, “You don’t have to be lonely...” Every time I’m behind Kasey, I think about that.

That would be horrible!

It is awful.

Q: Where did your first paycheck come from?

A: My first real paycheck was my paper route.

I didn’t know you delivered papers. The Columbia (Mo.) paper?

Yeah, the (Daily) Tribune. On my bike. There were just enough papers where you could take them all in one load. I took the route over from my friend, who had done it for like 10 years. I did it for a couple years.

Q: Who is an autograph you got as a kid that seemed to be a big deal to you at the time?

A: My dad went with Kenny Schrader (Edwards' cousin) to a dirt Late Model race somewhere. Schrader crashed and he had part of the wheel that was destroyed. He signed part of the wheel and my dad brought it home and gave it to me. I thought that was the neatest thing ever.

But I can’t think of another autograph I had as a kid.

Q: Where’s a place you’ve never been that you’d like to go visit?

A: Alaska.

Q: Do people ever accuse you of being addicted to your phone?

A: No, they don’t accuse me of it, but I am, kind of. I have to really try to put it down or turn it off. And I’m not plugging Sprint, but we do get such great service at the racetrack that you can just cruise the ‘net and look at everything. So it’s hard to stay off it.

Q: If a genie promised you a championship in exchange for never being able to do your favorite hobby again, would you accept that offer?

A: I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t trade hobby-wise for the championship. I don’t even know what my favorite hobby is, really. I’d probably give up most hobbies or all of them. Then my hobby would probably just be sitting around looking at my championship trophy.

Carl Edwards, left, talks with CPL James Hill during a training event with members of the Fort Worth police department S.W.A.T. team on March 21, 2012 in Fort Worth.
Tom Pennington, Getty Images for Texas Motor Spe

In the closest championship race in NASCAR Cup history, Carl Edwards, right, finished second to Tony Stewart, left, in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Stewart won the title on a tiebreaker.
Chuck Burton, AP

Carl Edwards performs his trademark backflip after winning the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 14, 2010. Edwards also won the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway the following week.
Michael McNamara, The Arizona Republic

In one of the most memorable crashes in recent NASCAR history, Carl Edwards flips and sails into the catch fence at Talladega Superspeedway while racing Brad Keselowski for the win on April 26, 2009.
John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports

After climbing from his mangled car, Carl Edwards gets a standing ovation from the crowd as he runs across the finish line during the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2009.
Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR

Q: What’s your preferred method of dealing with an angry driver after a race?

A: My dad taught me that if you screw up somebody else’s race and you didn’t mean to do it, you’ve got to go over there and tell them and explain to them it was an accident — whether they want to hear it or not. In the absence of an explanation, people are either going to assume it was on purpose or you don’t respect that you screwed up their day. So for me, I always try to address it. Some people are open to it right after a race and some people aren’t, and I respect that.

Q: Do you ever get mistaken for another driver or celebrity?

A: (Laughs) I have heard everything, yes. The best one was in Thailand. We went there and were there for a week and not one person recognized me. I had a running bet with my coach, Dean (Golich), and he was sure nobody would recognize me. I thought somebody would recognize me.

Sure enough, it’s like the 10th day of the trip and we’re sitting and the pool, and this kid — I saw it in his eyes; he recognized me. And Dean said to the kid, “Hey, you know who that is?” And the kid said, “Yes I do. That’s Michael Phelps.”

Q: If you had a time machine and you could travel to any year and race, where would you go?

A: I think late ‘70s or early ‘80s. The cars had no aero dependency, they slid around a lot, they could race so close. To me, watching those old videos, it’s the coolest thing ever. As a kid, that’s what I loved about watching races.

A: To fly, for sure. That would be awesome. I thought I could fly when I was a kid, and that’s when I realized the difference between dreams and real life.

I woke up and went into my kitchen one day and pulled my legs up and fell on the ground. (Laughs)

So you just knocked yourself to the floor, basically?

Yeah! I had this thing in my dreams where all I had to do was lift my feet up and I could float, you know? So like an idiot, I’m 5 years old and I’m in the kitchen and I’m like, “I’m going to float right over the counter.” And BAM! — right on the floor. (Laughs) I don’t think I’ve told a lot of people that, but it’s a true story.

Q: I’ve been asking each person to give me a question for the next interview. The last interview was with Jamie McMurray, and he wanted to know: Who is your favorite teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing and why?

A: Oh man. That’s tough. I’d say right now I’m really grateful to have Kyle Busch as a teammate because he’s so fast that he’s driving all of us forward. He is setting the bar so high, there’s no excuses. That’s one of the most valuable things you can have, is a guy who motivates you.

Q: And do you have a question I can ask the next driver?

A: I’d ask them to describe the difference between racing with a ton of aero influence and racing with none. Explain the difference to people.

Q: Finally, how did this interview go on a scale of 1-10?

A: On a scale of 1-10, I thought this was a solid 8, 8.5. I thought it was pretty good.